Spring Time
by X-Yukiko-X
Summary: When Ren touched the strange, glowing green ball, she had no idea it would lead her to another world, one desperate enough to call upon a new charge. Genesis-OC. Not Mary-Sue, I hope. Semi-serious fic. Hiatus. Undergoing revision.
1. Wish and The Orb

Well, what can I say? I'm writing a _heterosexual_ relationship! I'm surprised by myself. But I couldn't resist, I mean, who can when faced with such a gorgeous man like Genesis? That man is my GOD. If it would not have raised my roommate's suspicion about me being entirely insane (which I am, but that's another matter), I'd have installed my own, precious altar dedicated to everything that even reminds me of him. With a big, enormous, _giganormous_ picture of Gackt over my bed.

Ah, such sweet dreams I'd have...

But anyway. This is a story I made up while I was in Sweden, and such there will be some words that I slipped into this chapter that are in swedish. But no worries, my dolls, everything will be translated at the end of the chapter.

Originally this was supposed to be for Quizilla, but I thought, why the heck not? and posted it here. Currently I've finished chapter five and begun chapter six, but it's going to take some time, as always. Now, I'm supposed to erase myself from this page and let you read in peace. Pity, it was nice talking to you. Oh, well.

Hopefully you'll like this little piece that I created out of boredom! Peace, ya all!

* * *

_Chapter One: Wish and the Orb_

Ren sighed, looking boredly out of the window. The teacher was going on and on about some arithmetic gibberish that she understood nothing of. Math never was her strong point anyway. Kyoko-_sensei_, their teacher, was now writing something on the black board, an equation of some sort, and pointed out the student beside her, a boy named Shigure Takamura, or somethin'. With a cocky grin he gave the correct answer and sat back on his chair, giving the class a victorious look.

Bloody nerd.

She hated them. Why did they always understand everything, when she had to electrocute nearly ninety percent of her brain to make it work correctly. And she still got the wrong answer eight times out of ten.

Kyoko-_sensei_ had written another incomprehensible equation on the board and was going to ask her to answer it(she just knew it by the way her eyes were glittering maliciously, pointedly roaming the class and stopping too many times on her to be safe) when luckily, the bell rang.

She exhaled softly. 'Thank the gods.'

She swiftly packed up her belongings in her bag and shouldered it, making her way to the door, shuffling through the other students. Kyoko-sensei looked very displeased as she watched her going out with everyone else.

'Take that, bitch.' She never did like that teacher anyway.

---

Making her way home, she shuddered at the cold. Winter times were often harsh, but she liked the snow that came with it. The white sheet covering everything was beautiful, as if the gods wanted to hide the unpure from their godly eyes. Pure or not, it was still pretty.

She pushed her white, knitted hat down on her head, shivering a bit. Taking care not to let her coat fly open with the wind, she trudged quietly all the way, slowed down by the few centimeters of snow on the road.

She waved at a neighbor as she unlocked the door, and entered the dark and quiet house. Her parents would be coming home at seven, and it was only four right now. Hearing the scratching of small paws on the floor, she smiled and bent down on her knees, taking the two small furry animals in her arms.

" _Tadaima_, Belial, Lilith." The kittens mewled happily and licked her cheek and nose, giving it a gentle bite of welcome. Ren put them back on the floor and proceeded to take off her coat, hat, scarf and gloves, shaking off the excess of snow that had fallen on her.

After putting them in the wardrobe near the door, she took off her shoes and placed them neatly on the floor. Picking up her kittens, she went to the kitchen and refilled their bowls of water, cleaning up the drops that had splattered around them.

She yawned a bit when she was done, having also fed Belial and Lilith their small portion of cat food. When all was finished, she went up to her room to start on her homework. She probably would only do half before packing it up, totally discouraged by the heavy thinking she had to do.

When her small prediction showed itself to be the truth, as usual, she growled at the papers in front of her. Stupid teachers and their stupid homework. She hated them all. Stuffing everything into her bag, she lounged back on her chair, sighing heavily at the unfairness of the world.

"If only something different and great could happen to me." She said out loud unhappily.

Sure, she had the sweetest parents in the world, a few good friends, a house and plenty of food, she still felt like that there was a void in her life, some sort of need that had to be fulfilled in some way. Only, she didn't know what she wanted, nor what she had to do to get it.

She went down again, thinking a soda would clear her head a little better. Opening the bottle, she sipped carefully the fizzy and sugary liquid. As she put the soda down, she saw a sliver of paper attached to the fridge. Frowning, she took it and examined it suspiciously, wondering what her parents wanted.

_Hej, gumman!_

_How are you? I hope you're doing your homework correctly, young lady! Your father and I will be later than usual, but there's some sushi waiting for you in the fridge. Don't forget to take out the garbage, and, if it isn't too much trouble, could you also put away a few packets upstairs for me? You just need to put them on one of the shelves in the attic._

_For the rest, you know the drill._

_With much love,_

_Mamma._

'Yeah, yeah, no letting any strangers in, don't open the door to anyone you don't know, etc.' She sighed. 'Well, it could be worse.' She patted a purring Lilith on the head, staring distractedly on the weird, smiling figure badly drawn on the paper before searching for the packets. She found them near the staircase, and unconsciously counted that there were only three of them. They were wrapped in brown paper, probably some vases or old, bizarre things. Her mother always did like antiquities and strange objects.

Carefully balancing them in her arms, she slowly went up the stairs and unlocked the attic, unfolding the wooden ladder so she could climb up. Upon reaching the other floor, she switched on the small lamp hanging from the roof.

Many things had been stocked up here after years of collecting from her mom. She could see paintings of ladies in bright dresses, of domestic scenes, and a few hunting parties. There were several trunks full of old clothes, some even authentic. Jewelry was kept in a separate box and hidden under a big burgundy sheet. It looked like someone had cut it out from a theater curtain.

There were statues of gods and goddesses, heroes of antic Greece like Hercules too. Everything was clothed by an air of mystery and old age, shadows seeping everywhere, even though the lamp was on. She could see silvery white mist shifting through it all, old souls seeking refuge in their equally old memories.

Ren shivered at the sight, creeped out by the feelings she got just from watching. Even though she desperately wanted to turn tail and run back down, she dutifully approached the shelves, wanting to rid herself of what made her come up here. The room may appear like a treasure room of some sort to others, she only saw and felt the despair clinging to nearly everything, as if the souls never wanted their precious things to be there.

Or more as if there was _something_ that shouldn't be here.

Ignoring the odd feeling and sight, she went to put everything at the right place. Unwrapping slowly and carefully the brown paper, she set anew a small crystal sculpture of some Ice Goddess, a cutlass with an ivories handle engraved with strange runes along the sides and a bronze disk the size of her palm with the same cryptic runes making circles that were in turn imprisoned by some type of big serpent eating its own tail.

The shelves were made of old sherry wood, and nearly falling in pieces from everything that was there. There were glasses, plates, knives, miniatures,… Sighing resolutely, she first placed carefully the sculpture on an empty place on one of the many shelves in the room and turned around to find another hole in the clutters of objects somewhere else.

She suddenly cringed when she felt her elbow hit something, making it fall on the floor with a clear sound. Thankful that nothing was broken (her mother would have given her an earful), she looked to see what had fallen. Confused, she watched a small orb of some sort roll in circles on the floor before stopping. It was a beautiful, summer blue sky, and it was shining from the inside, as if a dark green fire was burning hotly, contained by the glass sphere.

She took the cutlass in her left hand and put the disk in her pant pocket; when she bent to pick it up, she had only touched it with the tip of her fingers when she froze, as if in pain.

_Attack. Hurt. Sadness. Stopstopstop. _**JENOVA**.

Withdrawing her hand quickly, she stared horrified at the small thing. What had happened? It was as if someone had screamed inside her mind, pleading for help. It scared her. She still felt tiny tingles going up her fingers, to her elbow, then shoulder and then her whole body, spreading quickly in short bursts. In a tentative try to see if what she felt was real, she picked it up completely from the floor.

She was instantly flooded with emotions, feelings that were not hers, as well as words in thousand different voices shooting through her brain, each coming quicker and more painfully than the last. Screaming in pain, she tried to throw away the thing, but it stuck to her sweaty palm. The cries were become sharper and sharper the longer she held it.

_MonsterBurnFearAncient._

And when the last scream of **SCARED** burst into her mind, she fainted. The glow that came from the sphere got brighter as the centimeters between her and the floor were reduced. The last vision of her world disappeared in a terrible bright glow of blue, then fading into nothingness as she closed her eyes to unconsciousness, still keeping the small sword in a slack grip.

* * *

Hej, Gumman : Hi, darling


	2. Awakening and The General

Hello again! I'd like to thank _Miserable At Best_ and _Masamune Master _for their kind reviews! It made me nyappy. :)

Now, as _Masamune Master_ pointed out, Ren has no idea of what Final Fantasy VII is. Never heard of it, never seen it or played it (obviously). Also, Ren is no Mary Sue, and is quite the normal girl. No horrible past, no evil minion after her blood (well, that she knows of), no crazy older brother that killed her clan (XD couldn't help it) making her slightly lean on the insane side of life. Nope, Ren is your every-day twenty year old woman.

Anyway, more will be explained about her in later chapters. **IF** I don't forget. But really, I like her. She's mine *creepy smile*. Also, Ren won't fall in love _snap _like that with Genesis, because even if I don't like it when it goes too slow, I absolutely abhor it when the person (original or not) just one day decides that they like that person or that one and BAM, they have sex. It really makes me mad.

Well, maaayybe Ren will have this unhealthy obsession with Genesis (he is hott like hell, after all), but it won't be like that for the whole story. A chapter max. Or something like that, yeah...

Okay, now I think that I'll leave you (finally!) at the story, so here goes! Enjoy!! And if you have any questions, just post a comment (even if you don't have a question, please do comment also).

**PS**: This story was intentionally made for Quizilla, so Ren has a bio there. If it interests you, do go read it. =) My name there is YukikoSama, and the story has the exact same title as this one. Bye, my dolls!

* * *

_Chapter Two: Awakening and the General_

'All right, who was the bastard that hit me?' Grumbling loudly, Ren raised herself in a sitting position, trying to ignore the horrible ache in her head. When she opened her eyes, the sun nearly blinded her with its strong rays. Hissing in pain, she shielded them with an arm, careful to not cut herself with the cutlass.

'Hold it, since when do we have a _sun_ in our attic?' Her eyes now more adjusted to the sudden light, she peaked out from behind her arm, and stared horrified at the desertic plains in front of her. 'What the –?!' She had to be dreaming, there was no other scientific explanation for what she saw. It was impossible to wake up in some desert after fainting in ones attic.

'Right, the attic,' She thought. 'I was holding the orb and… Of course!'

She could still feel the slight weight of the damned thing in her right hand. As she held it up for examination, she noted that the glow had greatly diminished to only a small light from the inside, like a failing light bulb. She glared at it. Stupid thing had gotten her all the way to the Sahara.

Ren quickly realized that staring harshly at the sphere was not going to make it burst in pretty fireworks, so she got up from her sitting position, put it in her other pocket and placed the small cutlass in her belt, hiding it under her thick woolen shirt (she was going to have a heat stroke very soon, she just knew it), dusting away the sand that clung to her brown pants. When she was done, she sighed, looking up to the blue sky.

And she let out a very long scream, screwing her eyes shut, her hands cradled on her breast. It didn't take long for her to not have any more air and she heaved, taking in as much oxygen as she could.

"Now that I feel better, where should I go?" She wondered out loud. "I obviously can't stay here, I'd die in a matter of days." No, she wasn't pessimistic, just realistic. She was in a desert, for God's sake!

Now, asking directions was simple, as she didn't have that weird problem men had, to just refuse asking help from someone. Now, she only needed to find that someone, and that was proving to be quite difficult, seeing she was in a desert, and alone.

Terribly, terribly alone.

She groaned in misery, head in hands. She had the best of lucks, it seemed.

"Stupid thing!" She shrieked angrily. " Couldn't you have transported me to a city, at least?!"

She continued her rant, spewing swear words left and right. The sun beating down on her made her quickly fatigued and sweaty, and she tried to find some shade under a big rock jutting out of the sandy earth.

After a few minutes, she was calmed and a bit more rested. Once more getting up, she walked towards the row of sharp rocks she could see not too long from where she had been sitting. As she got closer, she saw that behind it there was a cliff, and on that cliff a road. Breathing in sharply, she ran to it.

When she finally stood on the edge, she looked out to the city only a mile or two from where she was. She smiled happily for the first time of the day. Civilization, at last. Her good mood wasn't tampered by the fact she still had walking to do, now she knew where she was going.

It was a step forward.

---

Getting down the slope was difficult and when she got at the end of it, her hands were red and aching, her knees scratched in many places. She heaved a bit, trying to catch her breath. By luck, she had not fallen to her death, but more than a few times she had slipped and thought it was the end. She thanked the gods many times, bowing her head respectfully.

When she got back on her still slightly shaking feet, it was starting to darken. She would have to hurry to get in the city and find some shelter before it would be night. And night meant that whatever was out there would probably be coming out to hunt.

And she did not want to end up in someone's stomach as dinner.

She walked quickly, not quite running, and trying to keep her last strengths if there was a need to sprint. Fortunately, the city was closer than she had thought, and she arrived only one or two hours after. The sun still had to set completely.

---

She stared up a little scared at the humongous circle of metal going around the city, at least elevated fifty to seventy meters in the air, supported by enormous columns. The air was stale and dry. It all smelled of rotten food, urine and pollution. The big, grey cloud of polluted air that surrounded it all was frightening.

Ren swallowed her saliva, and entered between the 'houses' that littered the ground underneath the plate. She could see beggars leaning against the fake walls made of garbage, plastic or the seldom piece of wood. Children were running around bare feet, not caring if there was broken glass or rusted nails everywhere they ran.

Horrified by it all, she passed them by quickly, wanting to get away. The houses were built without a plan, so the whole place was like a labyrinth. Slowly though, she began seeing differences in the scenery. The houses were built more properly and she was actually walking on a road, not the up-turned dirt from before. People looked more happy too, even if the weariness seemed constant. Not knowing where to go, she approached a lively young brunette with a pretty green, earthy aura. Since birth she had been able to 'see' auras around people, and it helped her greatly in knowing if the person was suspicious or not.

"Excuse me, but do you know where I could find an inn of some sort?"

The brunette, cut in her enthusiastic conversation with a black-haired man, looked at her curiously.

"Sure. You're not from the slums, are you?"

Ren looked down at herself, noting that her clothes were of much better quality than the other peoples'. She was still wearing her white woolen turtleneck, her brown pants that went to her mid-shins and her black shoes. For fun, she had been wearing stripped socks going to her covered knees, in red and white.

'What the heck are the 'shlums'?!' She shook her head sheepishly, not showing her inner confusion.

The brunette smiled at her. "Well, to find a good inn you need to go up on the plate. Though where you could find one, you should ask Zack, he's from up there. I'm Aerith, by the way."

The man smiled, presenting her his hand, "Zack Fair, nice meeting you."

She shook it, also smiling. "I'm Ren Matsumoto, pleased to meet you two."

Zack and Aerith explained that she was in the slums, under the plate. To go up, she had to take the train that she would find after Wall Market. Zack would show her.

---

"So, where from?" Zack asked her while they were waiting for the train, after having graciously paid for her ticket. Ren shifted uneasily a bit, not knowing what to answer. She wanted to do it the safe way, and that meant lying to the man, no matter how nice he seemed, how warm his white-ish blue aura was or how her instincts were not ringing alarm bells in her mind. She decided to lie.

"A small village south from here. You probably don't know it."

Zack perked up, curious. "Really? Do tell."

"Muspelheim." Thank the gods for a lunatic mother completely obsessed with Norse mythology.

Zack made a face. "Sounds a bit like Nibelheim."

Ren stared at him, slightly confused. _That_ sounded like Nifelheim, one of the three realms, Muspelsheim and Ginnungagap being the two other. Nifelheim, or in old Norse _Niflheimr_ ("Mist World"), was the second world after _Muspellsheimr_ ("Flame world"). When the ice from Niflheimr melted because of the terrible fires from Muspellsheimr, it all dripped down into _Ginnungagap_ ("Yawning Void"), creating life in the form of a giant named Ymir.

They continued their small talk about village names, joking about them being such 'backwater', while they entered the train. She also learned she was in Midgard, where the Shin-Ra company had its President and head of departments. _Midgardr_, the city of men.

Ren sighed at the irony of it all.

She followed Zack out of the station and into Sector Eight. She stared mesmerized at the great fountain in the middle. At her right, she could see the beginning of an avenue, Loveless Zack said. At her left, there was a group of three women arguing about something. She vaguely heard the names Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth being mentioned a few times.

"Who are those three?" She questioned Zack. Unfortunately, it seemed she had spoken way too loud and the three women rounded on her, furious.

"How dare you not know Sephiroth-sama?!" Shrieked one angrily.

"You shame Genesis-sama!" Yelled another.

"Angeal-sama is the best! How can you not know him?" Screamed the last one.

When the last woman said that, the two others began arguing with her, saying this and that about their 'Sephiroth-sama' and 'Genesis-sama'. Zack pulled at her arm to get her away before they noticed her again. They quickly left the three in their heated debate of whom was best, going for Loveless Avenue.

"This is the Inn Les Marronniers, it's quite nice, though I've never slept there myself. A friend told me it was one of the best inns you could find in Midgar." Ren stared impressed at the big place. It did look very nice, and it probably was expensive too. She sighed, feeling her empty pockets. That was going to cause a problem, seeing that with no money she would be going nowhere.

Zack seemed to have understood her problem and was weighing possibilities. If they had any luck, the General could maybe arrange a room for her in the Shin-Ra building. A small lie, some visiting relative whom got her money stolen by a brat from the slums… No problem! It was going to be fine.

Telling her his idea, they left for the building. Passing by an nervous looking MP muttering something about a damned journalist, they rounded the corner and took the small way up, between all the other houses and stores.

---

When they finally entered the enormous Shin-Ra building, they headed straight to the double desk at the end of the hall. Zack charmingly asked one of the two ladies sitting there where they could find the general. She stared at him openly and answered automatically that he was still in his office, but was preparing to leave so they had to be quick. Zack thanked her with a big smile (making her blush cutely), and pulled her to the elevators.

They arrived at the level where the general's office was in a matter of minutes. Exiting the elevators, they made for a metal door only a few meters away. On it stood the slightly ominous word of _General_ written in a bold script. Ren stopped and stared at the door, a weird feeling creeping up her spine, making her shiver. The person inside was powerful, very powerful.

Zack, on the other hand, opened the door without knocking, a cheery smile on his face.

"Seph! I haveta present you a dear cousin of mine."

The man sitting at his desk raised his head, staring at them with cool, silvery green eyes. Ren was startled by the fact that not only where his eyes an abnormal color, he also had cat-like pupils and silver hair. She stared, not being able to help herself.

The man raised an eyebrow at them, unperturbed by the sudden arrival. And when he opened his mouth to talk, she was enraptured by the smooth voice that came out, it was like silk.

"Why, Zackary. This is the tenth time you barged into my office without my consent in a week. What should I do with you?" He said, disregarding her completely. Ren scowled angrily at him. He may be a pretty boy, that did not give him the right to toss her aside like that.

Zack seemed to have sensed her displeasure, because he quickly pushed her in front of him to present her properly. "Seph, this is Ren. Ren, this is the General of Shin-Ra, Sephiroth."

Ren's eyes lit up. "So _you_'re the person that that woman was arguing about! I can't believe you've got a fan club with a personality like _that_." Zack cringed at her impolite words, having hoped that she wouldn't have said anything of the sort to Sephiroth, knowing the man's temper.

But Sephiroth only stared at her silently, sizing her up. She didn't pose as a threat; her muscles were nearly non-existent and she didn't seem to have any weapons on her, though he couldn't really tell with her large white over shirt. He did suspect some kind of knife when he assessed the slight bulge at her side. She did have guts, though, to mouth-off the most powerful man walking on earth. But for her to not know him, at least at some extent, was strange. He had been in many parts of the world and even lowly peasants and beggars knew who he was.

Meanwhile, Ren was looking at the aura surrounding the man. She frowned, seeing the bright and dark colors inter-mingle constantly, weaving in and around each other. There were greens and blues, mixed with black and a deep blood red. An aura of power, strength, loneliness and… _Monstruosity_. The green was not normal, it nearly looked artificial but she just knew it was not. The feeling she got was like an ancient source of power, old and wise, _insane_, but not his. No, he may have been borne with it, but it didn't belong to him; it was as if someone had _injected_ it within his being.

Finally, the general spoke.

"Why are you two here."

Zack answered quickly, not wanting any confrontations between the two of them. "Well, she kinda got robbed on her way here, so we were wonderin' if you could possibly.. arrange a room for her? She said she'd like to train a bit anyway."

The older man said nothing, he just wrote something on a bit of paper. When he gave it to Zack, he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. Ren shivered at the coldness and suspicion she could read in them. He didn't trust her, and that didn't bode very well, as she knew he would not hesitate to kill her on the spot if she did as much as move quickly. She knew he didn't believe a word of her being Zack's cousin. Fortunately enough, he seemed to like Zack to some extent because he said nothing about it. She thanked the Gods for friendship and its pro's.

She sighed. It was going to be long, weird and dangerous 'vacation'. But she knew she was meant to be here, someway.

* * *

Umm, hi?


	3. Materia and Accidents

Well, hi! I'd like to thank my three reviewers (damn it, people! Make me happy and _clic_ on that _**BIG,**_ green BUTTON. Not too hard, is it?), _Miserable At Best_ (you ROCK my SOCKS XD), _Murasaki Shibiku_ (thansk, really =D) and _Light_ (ooh, is L there too? XD Sorry 'bout that). I LOVE you three! Thank you so much!! =)

On another note, this chapter is much, much shorter than all my other chapters, really sorry. I just couldn't find anything worth mentioning in it...

**WARNING :** Slight _SHONEN-AI_ between Zack and Cloud, but not much!! I just love the couple way too much to just let it be, so it will come up sometimes. Since I realize not everybody is a yaoi-fan like me (pitty that...), I promise I won't write any in this story. Except for that tiny, eensy bit of ZackxCloud. Couldn't resist. =P Since the time-line will be slightly off, I'll arrange it as good as I can to follow the story-line.

Oh, and also, it will take a few chapters more (like one or two max) before Ren meets Gen-Gen. Can't rush it all, can we?

* * *

_Chapter Three: Materia and Accidents_

When she got to her room, she stared pitifully at it. It was grey, with the walls made of steel. The bed was small and looked very uncomfortable, the white standard sheets looking like those of a hospital. Beside it there was a night able with a plastic clock, and facing the bed stood a tiny closet. It all smelled clean and cold, the air being purified and filtered by a small ventilator placed above her head.

Looking back at Zack, she sighed in a depressed tone. The man gave her a small, strained smile. "It seems you didn't make the best impression on Seph: he gave you one of the smallest rooms. At least you have a clock, the cadets don't. It's a general alarm that awakes them." He then straightened up, "You will start training tomorrow at six. I'll show you where you will have your classes with the other cadets."

Ren frowned, "I never asked for training." But Zack just smiled, "Consider it a bonus!" Before he dragged her off to show her the rooms where she would study, train, and eat. When they came to the cafeteria, they stumbled upon a certain blond cadet. Said boy (he could only have been fifteen or sixteen at most) smiled so brightly Ren thought he had swallowed the sun.

"Zack! I thought you were still with Aerith." The boy then looked at her curiously. Zack proceeded to hug the now spluttering blond, crowing about **his** cute chocobo-head, and how he had missed him. When the blond finally managed to pry of his… friend? Boyfriend? (She internally squealed at that thought) Anyway, when he had managed to pry him off, Zack introduced them to each other.

"Ren, Chocobo. Chocobo, Ren." Said chocobo glared playfully at him, and thwacked him upside the head. "I'm Cloud Strife. Sorry about Zack, he's horrible at times." His smile turned into a grimace when Zack latched onto him, crying about his chocobo being a bad boyfriend that said mean things and wouldn't even say hello properly. Cloud sighed heavily and pecked the other on the lips.

Ren had to slap a hand to her mouth to force her former mental squeal to become very real.

"Cloud is going to be with you in your classes, he can help you if you need anything."

Cloud nodded his head, and Ren thanked them both.

---

The sergeant teaching materia class was yelling incoherent babbling, something about spirit, mako and mind. She understood nothing of the rest, and by the look of the other boys (unfortunately, she was the only girl. Something about them being weak and unable to become SOLDIER, whatever that was), she wasn't the only one.

Ren couldn't help but gulp loudly when the sergeant looked at her maliciously, pointed at her and ordered her to come down. Why did teachers always have to hate her? It seemed she was a magnet to unwanted things, teachers being on the top list. World travel was second.

When she was beside him, he smirked broadly.

"Well, class! Seems like we hav' a newbie, aye? So, girlie, let's see what yeh can do." That had been understandable, and some boys let out a snicker. Cloud just shook his head in sympathy, probably used to all of this.

The sergeant went to his desk, picking up a white-ish green materia after some searching. His smirk became even larger when he looked back at her. Ren just knew he had picked something that was going to be _very_ difficult for her. Cloud, meanwhile, had straightened up nervously.

'This is bad, that's probably a mastered materia! Or at least level3! The sergeant himself would have difficulties to activate it.' He clenched his teeth in frustration, not knowing what to do. Some of the other boys who knew as much as him and where looking at her in sympathy. Those who didn't just looked on curiously.

Ren swallowed some saliva that had accumulated in her mouth, and reached for the thing in the sergeant's hand. When she hesitated, he glared at her, took her wrist in a tight grip, holding it in place, and placed it forcefully in her palm.

The reaction was instantaneous, and the teacher was thrown back into the wall a few meters behind him. Waves of blue, black and green were circling and swirling around Ren, creating some sort of protection. Crackles of electricity were running up and down her body. Slowly, very slowly, she was lifted up by the energy encasing her. Her eyes were glazed over, but they seemed to shine from within.

Her breath hitched, and she frowned. She looked to be in pain.

_PowerBurnHeatPainFLASHDarknessITHURTS. _

And she screamed, long and loud.

As suddenly as it began, it stopped. The aura that had been surrounding her retracted itself in the materia, and she crumpled to the floor. Nobody dared to move, even as she fainted. The sergeant cleared his throat in a nervous reaction, and that made everybody react instantly. Whispers and talking were heard throughout the classroom as they argued about what happened.

Who was she, to be able to do that? Hadn't the sergeant said she'd had no training prior to this? How had she done it?

Cloud had jumped up as soon as he had they had started talking, and went to her to take her on his back. He quickly said to the sergeant that he was taking her to the infirmary and left, with Ren moaning in pain and the class, sergeant included, gaping at their backs.

* * *

Right... Hopefully you'll review... The button is just there, in the middle...

Very visible. Promise. Really.

**2009-01-18: I EDITED A FEW THINGS, MOSTLY CHANGED A FEW SENTENCES SO IT SOUNDED BETTER. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE TELL ME SO.**


	4. The Gift of the Goddess and the Voice

I wanna thank _Miserable at Best_, who's stuck with me until now, _Kairis 12 _and_ TheGreatMillz33,_ my newest reviewers, _Murasaki Shibiku_ for her (his? you never know) nice words, and _Light_, my only anonymous reviewer! =D Do tell L to be careful with his diet, eh? Vegetables are good too (ooh, the horror! XD). Kisses to ya all!! Love ya, dearies! My dolls! My hearts! My flowers! My munchkins! My...! Allright, I'll stop... But know this! I NEVER DIE!! MWAHAHA!

*cough* I also forgot the disclaimer in previous chapters, so I put it here and only here so I won't have to repeat myself because we ALL know that I don't own FFVII: Crisis Core. If I did, you betcha there'd be yaoi everywhere. And at least a few Naked Genesis scenes somehow incorporated in it. It woulda worked, right? Yes, yes, it would have... *Hojo-laugh* (GAH)

Also, something in this chapter is VERY important, so read carefuly (not that you woudn't do it without me telling you to, hmm?). If you ever find out what I mean, know that it won't change. But it will take a long, long time before that, so no worries. Well, I've already told you way too much, so on with the story! Do enjoy and review!!

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_Chapter four: The Gift of the Goddess and the Voice_

When she awoke, Ren didn't know where she was. Everything was white, and she felt terribly sick, as if someone had punched her repeatedly in her stomach. Nausea swam around in her body, making her feel as if she was on a boat rocking upon some humongous waves.

She gasped when she sat up, her head swimming in darkness. Bringing a hand to her forehead, she felt that she had a slight fever. Her body was hot and sweaty, her breathing a bit erratic.

"Hey, how you feelin'?" She heard a voice ask beside her. Opening the eyes she had closed while getting up, she turned her head to see Zack and Cloud. They were staring at her silently, curious and weary.

She smiled lightly to tell them it was ok, though it was a lie. She could barely feel her hands, her head was pounding and bursts of electricity were running through her body. She cleared her dry throat, "What happened?" She nearly jumped at the sound of her raspy voice, as if she hadn't drank a drop of water in days.

When Cloud told her the story, she couldn't help but stare at him, wondering if he was telling the truth. She frowned, "That thing he gave me, what was it?"

Zack answered, "A materia, mastered one too. Only SOLDIERs should have been able to use it. That you managed to totally synchronize with it immediately is strange and frankly, not normal." Ren stared, "I think I have a materia of the same type, it's in my pants."

Curious, Zack rummaged through the clothes that a nurse had put on the small table beside them. With a small 'aha!' he took it out from her pocket.

And he immediately threw it on her bed, "What the –?! The thing stinged me!" Zack glared at it, massaging his hand. Ren laughed a bit, and went to take it herself. Hesitantly, she touched it with a finger. Not feeling or hearing anything like last time, she sighed thankfully and picked it up to observe it more closely.

The glow was slightly stronger than before, and the colors were swirling around in it. She could now see some dark green mixing with the more light one, the blue still a sky-like color. It was mesmerizing. Not even realizing it, the longer she stared, the more bright it got. Zack and Cloud looked on amazed as she was enveloped in a green and blue light. It was of a sweet color and feeling, not like in class where Cloud had felt and seen… _danger_.

Ren hummed slightly to herself, she felt incredibly well, as if the 'materia' was healing her.

_HeartBrightTrustLove?_ It whispered in a hum to her.

_Yes_, she whispered back, a content smile sketched on her lips. _I love you_. She didn't know why she said that, but she felt connected, bonded to it. She heard a soft singing in her mind: it was happy. Then she blinked, and it was over. She smiled at the two other, not realizing what had happened.

They were amazed. "It's a natural materia!" Cloud whispered in pure awe. **(1)**

Frowning, Ren asked what it was. "The materia we use here are mostly human-made by Shin-Ra scientists. They're powerful, but they're not… Well, it doesn't have a bond to the Planet. You see, materia are made from mako, which is the blood of the Planet. They extract it, and use it, but the mako leaving its bed, you could say, becomes 'dirty'. What you have in your hand is a materia created by the Planet itself, meaning that the mako was pure. Natural materia are extremely rare, since the Planet doesn't just create them in seconds, it can take hundreds of years for one to form. Where did you find it?" Cloud asked her.

Ren sighed, "Would you believe me if I told you I found it on the ground?" They gave her a blank look and she sighed heavily. She closed her eyes, not knowing if she should tell them the truth or not.

_Trust_.

Giving the materia in her hand a look, she decided herself. She would follow what it and her instincts told her.

"I'm not really from this world," She said finally. "It was winter, and I had gone to school, like any other day. When I came home, my mother had asked me to put away some things for her in the attic. When I was going to go put another object in the shelves, I hit the materia and it fell down. Wondering what it was, I touched it. When I did, I… heard things. It felt as if someone was screaming in my head, and it hurt. It rendered me unconscious and when I woke up, I was in a desert. I walked here, saw you and Aerith, met that bastard higher-up, met Cloud, went to class, had that thing with the mastered materia and tadaa, here I am."

When she was done talking, the silence became terribly heavy.

"Quite the interesting story," A smooth voice cut in and they all flinched. "Though this _bastard higher-up _would prefer to be called by his title, if you please."

Ren scowled angrily at the man that came in. "And who gave you the right to eavesdrop?" She snarled at him. The man just gave her a cold look, before addressing Zack. "Well, Zachary, it seems your… cousin is quite special to manage such a feat. When she is rested, you will take her to the training grounds to see what she can do. She could become a valuable asset to Shin-Ra, with such a strong bond to the Planet. Be glad I don't throw her to the scientists while saying we may have found a Cetra."

Zack just nodded his head dumbly, and him and an embarrassed Cloud barely remembered to salute when he walked out the door. Ren just glared at him, refusing to do the same. When the man was out of hearing's reach, they rounded on her.

"You shouldn't insult the general!" Zack whispered harshly at her.

"Do you even realize what you did?!" Cloud asked her, dumbfounded.

She sighed pitifully, and went back to sleep, ignoring them both.

---

_There is no hate, only joy  
For you are beloved by the goddess  
Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds_

_Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul  
Pride is lost  
Wings stripped away, the end is nigh…_

Ren woke with a gasp, clutching at her head. She had heard… someone whisper things in her mind. It had sounded like a poem of some sort. She silently mused in the darkness of the hospital room about what he had said. She was sure it had been a man, the soft baritone voice still young and youthful. She unconsciously smiled when thinking about it. She could nearly see his angel-like face. He had auburn hair that went a little shorter than his shoulders, soulful but cold grayish green eyes, and a small mocking smirk on those thin pink lips. She laughed softly at that, and continued her mental creation.

He had a narrow chin, a pert nose and high cheekbones. His skin had a pale completion, but still managed to look healthy. She could see red leather clothing, a silver earring in his right ear and a rapier-styled sword. She frowned somewhat, remembering her own cutlass in her small room. She hoped she had not forgotten to lock the door, for she would hate to lose one of the two things that still held her connected to her own world.

_Even if the morrow is barren of promises  
Nothing shall forestall my return._

She jumped when the voice came back in her head, whispering the words like wind. She turned her left and right but saw no one else in the room. She was alone with only a voice in her head as companion. 'Could you stop?' She asked, finding herself stupid to talk in her own mind. 'I'd like to sleep, seeing as it's only two in the morning.'

Hearing nothing else, she lied down again, intending to get as many hours of sleep in the comfortable bed before she had to go back to her own room. Shifting a bit under the covers, she purred to herself, feeling the warmth of the sheets clinging to her body and heating her nicely. Rolling them comfortably in a cocoon, she fell asleep in a matter of minutes, totally disregarding the whisper that had come back in her subconscious.

_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess  
We seek it thus, and take to the sky…_

---

The next time she woke up, measly rays of the sun had managed to peak through the thick volute of pollution and were shining on the wall in front of her. The rays, distorted by the slightly dirty glass of the window, were shining in waves and undulating with the passing clouds.

Ren stared silently at the show presenting itself upon her eyes. She let her mind wander from the small room, letting it fly away were it saw fit. Her thoughts danced slowly in a waltz in her still sleep muddled mind, showing her words and feelings when it decided to get at least a bit of her attention. One thing did get it completely, though.

_Child?_ A sweet feminine voice whispered at the back of her mind. _I need your help._

Ren didn't respond to it immediately, waiting to get up properly on the bed. The Voice seemed to realize that she was listening to it and continued. _I am sorry, child, to have done such a thing to you, but I needed you here._

Ren just nodded absentmindedly. The Voice sighed softly. _Child… My sweet, darling child… I am Gaea, the Mother of All, the Goddess. I am Earth._

Now she had entirely woken up. The Planet was talking to her, and that was not normal. She frowned. 'What is it that you want from me? Why have you taken me away from my home?'

The Voice laughed airily. _Child, this _is_ your home._

"What do you mean?!" Ren finally growled out loud. "This is certainly not my world! I want back!" Feeling pretty stupid to have shouted out at nothing, she crossed her arms defensively on her chest, leaning back against the pillows she had placed on the headboard of the bed to be more comfortable.

_Calm down, child. I am in need of you here to save my children._ The Voice sighed again, as if hesitant to continue. _One of my sisters went insane so, so long ago… She has hurt me deeply and I fear that she has awoken again to destroy me completely this time. _A deep depression had clouded her voice.

Ren scowled angrily, "I have no want to play hero of the day!" She said harshly at the empty room. The curtains near an open window ruffled slightly with the non-existent wind.

_I am sorry, child._ The Voice repeated again_. I need your help…_

"Fine! I'll help you! Just… Promise you'll send me back afterwards?"

She could nearly see the hesitance to the proposition. Finally, she heard a resolute sigh from the Voice. _Very well, it is a promise. I warn you though, child, I never break my promises._

Ren, too elated at the idea of going home, didn't make any notice of it. She slowly felt the presence leave her like a wave rolling back down the beach, leaving her feeling weirdly incomplete and alone.

She ran a hand through her slightly dirty and greasy hair, wanting to take a warm shower to de-stress. Hearing the small 'click' of the door opening, she turned to see who had entered. She stared silently at the doctor in white coat that approached with a clipboard in hand. His dark black and greasy hair was held in a low ponytail, and reading glasses covered his brown, glittering eyes.

"Well, well, well," He sneered in a malicious way. "What do we have here? A _girl_ trying to become a SOLDIER?" He sniggered silently, his back slightly hunched. Ren glared at him, a snarl marring her usually pretty face, but it only seemed to make him laugh harder.

"I'm Professor Hojo, and I'll be the one doing the tests to see what in you made you manage such a feat, eh?" He suddenly brought his face close to hers, his eyes narrowed and all traces of amusement gone from his face. "I will find what you hide, my dear. I'm going to open that little body of yours and do _whatever I want with it._"

Very tempted to punch him, Ren restrained herself and answered him with a nasty smirk of her own. "Ah, but Professor Hojo, I will not let you." She purred, bringing her face closer to his. "Let's see who shall win, eh? The mad scientist, or the Girl from nowhere?" She sat back, watching him closely to see what his reaction would be. "You won't be touching anything of mine, Professor. Simply because I forbid you, and because you shall never see me again."

His eyes were throwing daggers at her and his nostrils flared in anger. Knowing that he could not do anything here without raising suspicion, he left her in a huff, slamming the door rather loudly behind him in a childish act of venting some steam. When he was gone, Ren let out the breath she had unconsciously been holding. She had played her part well, not letting her nervousness show after his statements. She shivered in disgust, images of him playing _doctor_ with her body flowing before her eyes.

"Well, damn…" she whispered. "I really can't stay here." She got up from the bed, putting the cadet gear given to her on and leaving the room. An unnamed doctor passing her noted on his clipboard that she was able to leave and let her get out.

---

She found Zack and Cloud at the cafeteria, munching at the thing ShinRa called food, but really was some blobs of unidentified nutrients vaguely colored green, orange or brown. After taking her own share of it, she plopped herself down between them, and began munching away like they had done for the past ten or so minutes.

Both men jumped slightly at her arrival, too lost in thought to really pay attention to their surroundings. Deciding, seeing her rather gloomy face, not to ask question, they joined her at eating. They finished some time later and decided to go back to Zack's and Cloud's room to discuss.

"All right, so you're telling us that _Gaea_ talked to you?"

"Yes, Zack, Gaea, as in the Planet, talked to me." She frowned, "She seemed very sad and lonely." She then snorted, "Well, she seemed hell-bent on getting me to help her. At least I get to go home when this is over."

Cloud frowned, "So you help the Planet, save the world, and _bam_, you're home? Seems a bit unlikely to me, to tell you the truth."

Ren could only sigh. "I know what you mean, but she did get me all the way here, so she technically should be able to get me back home."

The three of them had been discussing of the situation for the past hour now, and seemed to have gone nowhere in all that time. "Well, I still need to leave this place." She said suddenly.

Zack brightened up, "I know! Me, Cloud 'n Tseng are going to Modeoheim, you could come with us! And then you can decide to do whatever." The idea was all right, so she accepted without much problem. "It's in two weeks, so you still have some time to learn how to use that mini-sword of yours."

Ren blushed suddenly, remembering the rather embarrassing memory of her trying to lift, without much success, the standard SOLDIER blade. They had seemed very light, but she now knew better. They were laced with mako, and while she had felt the slight tingle of magic shooting up her palms, she still hadn't been able to lift the sword as much as a few inches of the ground, And she had been exhausted afterwards, as if it had sucked up her energy greedily the few minutes she had held it.

Shaking her head to get rid of the images, Ren stood up and said good-bye to the two other, wanting to go back to her room. She had gotten a few books one the lore of this world from Cloud and wanted to learn as much as possible to not seem weird with the poor information she had been given. She was in a new world, and she was going for a new start.

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**(1) **- I do realize that "Natural Materia" is very probably not the correct term for such materia but the real notion has completely escaped my mind. So if someone could be so kind and tell me the correct term? I'd be very grateful.

On another note, I absolutely adore LOVELESS. If real copies existed of it I'd bye them by the dozen. Or do some really exist? I wonder... Anyway, our first approach on Gen-chan! =D I just had to make it somewhat spiritual, and with some quotes from LOVELESS, because really, we both are obsessed with it. Fortunately enough for me, I have not come to the point of randomy bursting a phrase in the middle of a conversation. Though I know I'd be capable... Gods, I'm such a dork.

Well, please review?

**I EDITED A MISTAKE I DID WITH GAIA/GAEA. THANK YOU MegaKiraraLover FOR POINTING IT OUT!! IF YOU SEE ANY MISTAKES ON MY PART, PLEASE TELL ME SO I CAN CORRECT THEM.**


	5. Crash and Discoveries

Er. Sorry for the delay? *scratches head nervously* I really have no excuse for my laziness. . . Er. Well, I wanna thank _Miserable At Best_, _Sky-Pirate325_, _Kairis 12_, _Lunas Dark Spirit_ and _MegaKiraraLover_for their wonderful reviews. It makes me feel proud to know that my fic is appreciated. I love you, dears!

I'm trying to keep this as realistic as it possibly can be, so if something seems er. . . not normal, well, just tell me so I can fix it. I really don't mind getting criticism, as long as it's constructive and useful not just "Thiis is crap, u suk!!11!". I gladly recommend you to send ideas for even if I know what will happen, I still don't have the exact details of what can happen in all the chapters. I want this story to be at least 12-13 chapters long, minimum. I may take quite some time, but I hope it will be worth it! I already have chapter six to polish up a bit and to post as soon as I'm done with chapter seven. I like having things planned.

So, send me whatever idea you have. I'll see what I can do with them! Thankies, my hearts! Kisses to you all.

Onward!!

**04/15/2009: I have edited this chapter, since it was greatly needed. There were some small errors in the text (I hope I took them all away, if you see any, please tell) and Ren was doing exactly what I did NOT want her to do, that is "fall in love in two seconds". Now, I think it's much better; she still is impressed about him, but it really limits itself at that. I don't really know how I'll manage to make them more lovey-dovey (laughs) between each other, but I'll find a way. I hope I also got their characters somewhat right... Well, if you see anything that really doesn't work, I'll try to rectify it! Also, any ideas for the story are appreciated, since I need some more filling... (laughs) **

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_Chapter five: Crash and Discoveries_

Ren clutched nervously at her vest when the helicopter jumped again in the air, battling against the harsh winds and snow outside. She stared enviously at Zack and Cloud hugging each other for warmth. Tseng, the Turk, was trying to get the helicopter to move more smoothly so she had no one to share some warmth with.

She sighed heavily, trying to wrap her already mussed up uniform around her small body. She was shivering badly and if not for the tiny heater place beside her, she would probably have become an ice block hours ago.

Going to Modeoheim suddenly didn't seem as such a bright idea and she cursed at her stupidity, remembering what she had read about the small village. It was quite far up in the north, near Nibelheim, and was nearly always covered in snow, except in the warmest months, from June to August, were the snow melted and the very few fruits and greens were planted with the help of an earth materia and cultivated for the coming winter season. It had been deserted a couple of years ago for reasons unknown.

And she had brought nothing but her cutlass, bronze plate (she had nearly forgotten completely about it), materia and the standard issue gun she had received when entering the SOLDIER training program and then 'stolen' with some bullets to spare for keeping with her all the time. It would probably be useful for hunting, or something.

Apart from that, she also had a thin blanket, now wrapped around her ice cold body, a toothbrush, some toothpaste and a book named 'Monsters and their weaknesses'. It had not gone into her head to take the special winter uniform (long-sleeved, thicker material and heavy leather boots), and for that she was cursing heavily at herself. Her helmet was currently resting against her booted leg.

There was a sudden jolt in the helicopter and she grabbed for the steel wall separating her from her doom. There was another jump in the air and she heard the propellers slowly come to a stop. The helicopter lost its speed, turned around itself in various circles and went crashing down on the mountain-side. Ren screamed shrilly, thinking her death upon her and was suddenly propelled forward to smash into Cloud and Zack, sending them out of the helicopter as it crash-landed.

Her head hit a stone, and she winced in pain, feeling blood start to pour out from the deep wound at her temple. Holding a hand to it and the other to the ground, she shakily tried to get on her feet after a few minutes on the ground to regain her surroundings.

It took her some time for her to be able to walk again, and when she looked up she saw that the worst of the storm had passed over their heads, heading east to torment some other unfortunate people crossing its destructive path. Now the winds had slowed down considerably and vision had been returned to their senses, as the snow had stopped swirling angrily around them and was now falling softly on the already covered ground.

She turned to face Tseng when he began talking, drying her bloodied hand on her pant-leg, "We still have some miles before Modeoheim, and we're already late as it is, so I suggest we hurry." He then pointed ahead of the road they had crashed on, gesturing for Zack to begin to walk, and he just did so, taking big strides and advancing in the deep snow with little to no problem.

Ren sighed and looked down at her knee-deep legs. She gingerly lifted one and made a step, letting her booted foot sink low in the snow. This was going to take a long, long time.

---

Ren cursed her luck for the x-th time in the past hour, grumbling at the snow that stuck to her boots and making it even more difficult to walk. She could see Zack and Cloud conversing gaily a long way in front of herself and Tseng. He seemed to be having problems too, especially since he was waltzing around in his pretty suit. Very business-like and intimidating, but terribly inconvenient in areas and harsh conditions such as these.

She shifted the weight of her standard issue gun from one shoulder to another, massaging the aching muscles it had caused. She griped it more firmly when she heard the distinct sound of battle up ahead. When she looked up from the warm scarf around her neck where she had buried her chin and nose, she saw distinctly Zack take out some weird beast. Shuddering at the odd sight, she barely breathed a relieved sigh when Cloud killed a griffin of some sort that had intended to attack Zack. She saw them, rather than heard them, laugh at something and continue their way, the dead beasts dissolving into lifestream and dissipating into thin air.

She shook her head at their childishness, chuckling lightly. Herself and Tseng were many a feet away from the lovebirds, and the distance kept growing as they walked on. It seemed as if the other two had an innate talent to walk on the snow. She snorted in amusement, remembering the very familiar scene of Lord of the rings, when Legolas had walked skillfully and gracefully upon the white stuff while the others had to make their way in waist-deep snow. Luckily for the hobbits, they had been too small to walk so they had to be carried.

Ren was now very tempted to jump on Tseng's back and get a piggy-back ride to Modeoheim. Unfortunately, it was very likely that he wouldn't appreciate it and just throw her off the mountain. She let out a puff of breath. Men.

In front of them, she saw the outlines of Zack and Cloud crouch down and go forward to a small cliff-side, where they looked down as stealthily as they could manage. She stared at them stupidly when they barely thought of hiding in some better place than being in plain view. She shook her head at their stupidity.

She and Tseng arrived silently, and Tseng spoke up. "There are Genesis copies down there."

'Genesis…? Copies?'

Zack frowned, "What should we do? Attack?"

Tseng nodded, "It would be best, but you'll have to infiltrate the building. Alerting Genesis with your games is the least that we need."

"All righ'! Let's get 'em!" Zack cheered and ran down the icy slope. He took a minute to choose some materia and potions, before he entered the base. Cloud and Ren were holding their breaths while he made his way behind old barrels and forgotten equipment to escape the watchful eyes of the copies. He evaded skillfully the guards posted at different places and knocked them out one by one, and finally found the entrance to the underground. He gave them all thumbs up with a big, cheery smile before running head first into the darkness.

The three sat in silence for a few minutes. Ren shifted a bit, rolling her shoulders to get the blood circulating. Cloud was watching the open entrance with worried eyes. Tseng was walking away.

Ren started, "Hold up! Tseng, where are you going?"

Tseng looked back at them, "To Modeoheim. We already have lost much time because of the crash, and someone needs to be there at least. You can wait here, if you want."

Cloud nodded and jumped down, running to the entrance.

Ren stared at Tseng's back, then at the opening. She sat for herself for a few seconds before she jumped up and followed Cloud.

---

Barely seeing anything with their unmako-ed eyes, Ren and Cloud inched their way in the dark tunnels that made up the enormous basement. Coming to a stairway, they clung to the railing for fear of falling to their death. They had to descend many stairs before coming to an elevator. She and Cloud killed the two monsters guarding it with their weapons and they activated the elevator when they got in.

Ren gulped slightly in nervousness and felt a drop of sweat roll down from her now-healed temple. She suddenly jumped. She hadn't had anything to bandage the wound, and as she touched her temple, she felt nothing but slightly sweaty skin. Sucking in air sharply, she searched for her cutlass hidden under her clothes. Finding it, she unsheathed it and lightly pricked her right index finger with it.

The metal pierced her skin easily and she watched in sick fascination the blood pearl at the surface, a thin line falling down to drip on the metal-paneled floor palm. Watching intently, she saw that the blood stopped flowing and receded back into the small wound, before the skin closed up on itself with a small, barely noticeable light green glow. The only way to know that she had been hurt was the small line of the red liquid still present on her finger.

Cloud had watched the whole thing silently before he spoke up, "By seeing your reaction, that was not normal, was it?" Ren dumbly shook her head. He sighed, "We'll look into it later."

The elevator stopped and opened, revealing a scene that caused them both to jump. A man in red leather and graying hair was menacing Zack with a rapier-styled sword. A fat old man was trying to hide his rather big stature behind Zack, and failing quite miserably at it.

"Nobody knows where de Jenova cells are," He shouted, trying to make a difference in the younger man's mind. "Not even Hojo."

The man in leather just laughed, "Then I'll just keep degrading until I find them!"

Seeing as it was impossible to reason with the other man, he jumped to the side to run away in direction of the elevator. And right into them.

Cloud grabbed the man from behind and pined his arms to his back. They struggled for a few minutes before the man managed to elbow Cloud in his sternum, making him choke and fall down. The older man pushed her aside roughly when he saw that she was not moving from his way. Ren let him do so without reacting, barely flinching from the hard blow as she took a step back. She had her eyes only for the auburn-haired man, and when he talked she knew just who it was.

"It's you…" She whispered first, a bit weirded out. Zack and the other man stopped arguing over something she had tuned out, and looked at her. She began walking towards them, mindless of the bad consequences of her going into the middle of a battle (or the beginning of one anyway).

"You're the one that spoke to me in my dreams!" When they both looked confused, she sighed, but then smiled lightly when the comforting phrases came back dancing in her mind.

"_There is no hate, only joy for you are beloved by the Goddess…_" She murmured wistfully. Her eyes seemed to have glazed over and her voice took a mysterious tint, making her seem older than her twenty one years.

The man observed her silently, noting small things about her. Her features made her look wutainese, but only her eyes kept him from confirming it: they were endlessly blue with a stormy grey swirling within, instead of the brown and black common in Wutai. She very probably had a mother or father from the northern parts of the world where he knew blue-eyed people were abundant.

Suddenly realizing his train of thoughts, he shook his head once to rid it of such petty wonderings. He was going to deal with her later.

Zack pursed his lips, "You heard that in your dreams?" Ren snapped back to reality, and nodded. "Yes, it happened before the Planet talked to me." At that, she regained the auburn-haired man's attention.

"The Goddess spoke to you? What could you have done to merit such thing?" His voice entered her mind like a powerful wave, sending shivers dancing up and down her spine. He had the voice of a singer, smooth and powerful, low and seductive. She would bet her own brain (not that it was worth much, according to her teachers) he had been one in another life. Or would be.

"I don't know," she shook her head. "But she never did tell me why she really wanted me here… Just that she needed my help." Recalling the conversation, she frowned lightly. The Planet had sounded so urgent at that time.

The man shook his head. "I shall deal with you later."

Realizing that it meant the battle was about to begin seriously, Zack pushed Ren behind him and ordered both her and Cloud to run after Hollander, the old man he added to her. Turning back towards the man, he bellowed "Genesis!" and jumped into action, parrying, blocking and attacking the other.

Cloud dragged Ren towards the elevator and pushed nervously on the button to make it go down quicker. Ren had a thoughtful look plastered on her face, seemingly miles away from the current situation.

'_Genesis…_'

---

Once they were back down on the ground level, Cloud and Ren finally stopped running. Gasping for breath, they hunched forward, leaning on each other's shoulders for support. They had lost Hollander when they got up, as if he had flown away. Cloud shook his head, "We should go find Tseng, he'll want to know what happened." Ren only nodded, still trying to comprehend what had just happened.

She had seen a man she had imagined (or so she had thought) in her mind. She had known, somehow, just how he looked (except he was 'degrading' in real life) and sounded. She sighed, rubbing her brow absentmindedly. "For the love of Odin... I feel like some dumb bimbo thrown in a fucked-up story."

Cloud chuckled in a somewhat nervous manner. She had to be really out of it for her to swear, she said she found it degrading and childish; she much preferred the olden threats.

With a sigh, Ren marched forward in the direction she thought was correct, a serious look upon her features. When she heard a small cough, she turned to Cloud who was sheepishly pointing the other way. She sweat-dropped and ran back to him, face flushed in embarrassment.

She hated her sense of direction.

---

Zack silently trudged up the way to Modeoheim, careful not to fall to his death in the icy mountains. Swiftly slaying the few monsters who dared to attack him, he continued forward, lost in thought.

Ren had somehow known Genesis, which she should not have. He had been classified a traitor of Shin-Ra a few months ago, and she had not even been in this world then, only having stayed a little more than two weeks on Gaea. True, her quoting of LOVELESS was also curious, but anyone in ShinRa could have told her about it. And then the thing with the 'Goddess'.

Zack sighed, massaging his brow absentmindedly. He was going to have a talk with that girl, and she was going to tell him every damn thing that had happened to her.

* * *

This chapter is not exactly how I wanted it, but I lost some parts of it and had to rewrite it. . . Hope it was still good! If you see any errors, may it be grammatical or or just something wrong, tell me please so I can change it.

Please review, it makes me feel all bubbly inside.


	6. The Monster and His Father

I was waiting for that twentieth review, but since it didn't seem to come, I gave up. I know that this chapter is very short, but it's more filler-like. I know I write terribly slowly, but I do update unlike some authors that give out a new chapter avery other year (some do have good excuses, but I know how annoying it is to wait endlessly for something that doesn't come). I want to thank my reviewers, _Aerith_ _The_ _Evenstar_, _LunasDarkSpirit_ (sorry for the wait, Sary dear) and _MegaKiraraLover_ (I really appreciate the fact that you correct me when needed! Thank you so much).

I'm done with chapter seven and as soon as I'm done with chapter eigth it shall be posted. Promise!

Thank you all again, my dear readers!

Blessed be.

* * *

_Chapter Six: The Monster and His Father_

Zack's arrival in Modeoheim was swift, and he slew the blue ostriches in the way that he just knew wanted to peck him to death. He marched on to the only open place in the deserted and broken down village, the bath house. He was surprised to see that the others had already moved on and gone further in the small building. He frowned, wondering why they had not waited for him. He had not taken that much time to come, had he?

While he listened to the old messages still saved on the phone (how it was could still work was a miracle in itself), he took a good look around. Objects and furniture cluttered the floor, the paint was peeling off of the walls and a stale and moldy odor was floating around. Surprisingly, the place was still warm, the engines that heated up the water probably still working, even if no one was there to tend to them.

After finding the hidden packet described in the messages, he made his way to find the others, sniffing around for small useful things.

---

He carefully entered the steaming room and had to jump back to avoid being hit by a mutated griffin. He stared horrified at the very alike-looking face of Angeal fastened under the griffin's beak.

He swore. "Shit, this cannot be happening…!" Jumping to the side and avoiding the deadly looking claws, he slashed at the beast before him. He turned, rolled, jumped and slashed, alternately using his magick and his brute strength. Finally it collapsed on the dirty floor, leaving him slightly breathless.

The battle against Genesis had taken a toll on his body, and he had forgotten to take some potions and remedies to restore his health. Cursing at his own stupidity, he searched for them in his pockets. Finding two within everything he had amassed during the mission (he never did understand how so much could be stored at once in his pants without breaking the fabric, but since Squeenix made it possible, he wasn't going to be the one to contest them and their rights. Not that he knew any).

Wiping his brow, he trudged more slowly to the broken staircase, careful not to walk in the puddles of burning hot water littering the floor near the walk-in bath. What he saw when he went up the stairs did not please him at all.

"Cloud!"

He was lying out of breath on his stomach, unconscious. Turning him over with much care, he quickly checked for any injuries. Finding none, he kissed the blonde lightly on the forehead and pushed him against the wall so he would not fall on his face again.

He murmured softly to deaf ears, "I'll be back soon," and went to check on Ren.

She was in a worse state, her right arm sporting a long gash going from her elbow to her shoulder. Gripping her cutlass in her right hand tightly, the other was trying to keep the blood from overflowing. Her face was sweaty from pain and nervousness, and her whole body shook.

He knew by what she had told them that she was not used to fighting (the only fight she had ever been in was when she had been six years old and had punched her cousin in the face for insulting her rather small stature) and the sight of blood repulsed her. To see so much coming from herself must really make her nauseous and sick.

Not saying a word, he ripped a piece of her pants to bandage her arm as good as he could. Her uniform was already dirty, matted with sweat and torn up so it didn't really matter. He could have used the Cure2 materia he had with him, but he didn't know how her body would react to the magick and he preferred the solution where he was sure that the both of them would stay alive.

With his sharpened eyes he could already see the wounds closing up, rather slowly, yes, but much faster than any normal human not subjected to mako; he frowned, but said nothing. Ren's breathing, before quick and shallow, was calming down to become regular again. He felt her imperceptibly shift lightly her body in a more comfortable position.

"He wants to see you."

Zack looked up from his work to watch her face intently. She stared back, seemingly completely unperturbed, though he could see her flinching from time to time. Her grey-ish blue eyes had lost some of their shine and seemed bizarrely empty. He knew just who he was going to see when he continued on his way, and it troubled him greatly.

Ren looked up at him and opened her mouth, before closing it. She seemed hesitant to ask whatever was on her mind. Coming to some mental conclusion, she addressed him again.

"And Genesis?"

Zack flinched somewhat, and shook his head in a negative way. "I did what had to be done." And seeing her distressed face, he quickly added, not really knowing why, "Sorry." Ren just laughed under her breath, "Ah, well, I guess that enemies must remain enemies." She fixed her sad stare on an invisible speck on the wall, ignoring him.

Done with the make-shift bandage, he rose up, "It should hold until we go back." Ren just nodded at him, waving her unhurt hand at the door. Giving her a tight-lipped smile, he went to talk to Tseng.

"Be careful, we don't know on which side he is." Tseng told him.

"I know."

And with that, he was gone.

---

Ren didn't know what to think. A man she had only just met had died and she felt as if Hel herself had come to get her, taking her to the deepest parts of the freezing halls in Niflheimr and leaving her to despair and misery. Which was completely stupid, since she had only seen him for five minutes at most in her entire life.

But she knew that, somehow, that man was important to her, in one way or another. And that scared her, since she did not know why.

She laughed hollowly. Gods, she was pathetic. Here she was, pining for a dead guy who hadn't even known her name, and she knew half of his.

_Genesis, Genesis, Genesis_. It all floated around that one word.

Well, she thought morosely, at least she knew his first name. Sighing, knowing that trying to make her feel better was without hope, she rested her head back against the warm and smooth stone of the wall. She hoped that Zack would be all right, dealing with that man and the fat one (she was very bad at remembering things that did not seem important to her, and managed to forget it under five seconds. She counted).

"Ah, well…" She smiled up at the ceiling, seeing through it and up at the stars. "Wonder if you're all laughing up there at me, huh? Bastards, the lot of you." She sniffed, before humming out a tune, a silly smile perched upon her dry and chapped lips, "It's a beautiful life, hm hmhm… I just wanna be here, beside you…"

She giggled, seemingly completely lost in her thoughts.

Tseng looked at her wearily, 'I'll never understand women.'

"Hey, wanna play 'I Spy'? You'd pro'ly win since you're a Turk an' all."

Even her speech was becoming impaired.

---

When Zack came back, he was drenched in rain and shivering. His black hair still managed to stay up, but drooped slightly and his mako-ed purple eyes were pained and glazed. In his hand was a gigantic sword, seemingly barely used and well taken care of. His body reeked of newly used healing magick, but a single, reddish wound forming an 'X' was still present on his left cheek.

He stared silently at his sleeping friends, and let a small smile appear on his face. Taking care as not to wake up Cloud and Ren, he shook Tseng awake. Murmuring a few words in his ear, Zack picked up Cloud while Tseng picked Ren up.

They quietly went out of the bath house, going up the hills to the waiting Shin-Ra helicopter that was going to take them back.

---

"Aww, man! This is great!"

Ren laughed at the image Zack made, wriggling his body into the warm sand of the beach in Costa del Sol. The sun was shining brightly upon them and the water was of the nicest blue she had ever seen.

She was wearing a one-piece bathing suit of a creamy color with an earthy brown flower decorating her left breast. Her black hair was being held back in a bun, and some rebellious strands swayed with the wind in front of her face. Her slightly chubby body and peach-like skin were aglow in the rays of the sun, bathing her in a golden light.

Meanwhile, Zack was wearing bathing trunks that went to his knees colored with green and blue hues. If Ren's skin was like a peach, his was of a honey-like color. They were both near the cool water, taking pleasure in the warm sand and the wind that reached them to tease their hair and skin.

Both of them were currently enjoying a vacation – well, Zack was, she had been given a leave of undetermined time after being deemed non useful (but she really couldn't care less), and had decided to accompany him since Cloud had a mission at the same time and couldn't come.

"Zack! Look out!"

Both turned around to see who had shouted, and were surprised to see a woman with ginger-brown hair, warm chocolate eyes and clad in a light blue bikini. She was pointing wildly somewhere behind them. Once more turning around, they came face to face with at least a dozen masked men in diving suits.

Zack pushed Ren behind him and in the woman's arms, "I'll take care of these guys. Cissnei, could you watch over her?" The previously anonymous woman nodded and dragged her towards the shade near the white, plastic lounging chairs laid out.

Meanwhile, Zack was battling ferociously the men with (Ren nearly died of laughter at the incredibly funny picture he made) a parasol. Slashing away with it as if it were a real sword, Zack finished the men off in a few minutes. As the last one finally keeled over, dead, they all watched them disappear in the LifeStream's green light.

"Were they…?" Zack began.

"Genesis copies? Yes. Many have started to appear all around the world." Cissnei said, crossing her arms in a resigned manner.

Zack frowned, "But I killed Genesis! Didn't I...?" He saw clearly images of Genesis falling down in the darkness flashing by quickly in his mind. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Cissnei spoke again. "I'm sorry to say this, but your vacation is cut short. You are needed in Junon." She shot a glance at Ren who was staring at the distant horizon, "She can't come."

Ren just nodded, already knowing that she was not needed there and would just have caused problems. She smiled at Zack, "Hey, you'll probably get to see Cloud again. Didn't he say he was part of the squad that was going to keep Fatty under surveillance?"

Zack nodded once, smiling back at her.

"Well," He said. "Let's mosey!"

* * *

Again, sorry for the shortness, the next one will longer. Please review, just a "i like it" is fine, just so I know what you think about it. If no one says what's wrong with my fic, I can't really make it better, ne?


	7. Author's note, please read

**Before you decide to skip this completely and click on the return arrow, I tell you this: YOU WILL MISS USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THIS FICTION. So please read, it will only take a few minutes out of your long life.**

Hello everyone, t'is Yukiko here.

I know it's been ages since I've updated, but I can't do anything at the moment. My PC crashed and it's still in reparation, and I probably won't have it back until the end of August. It's not fair, but hey, I can't do anything about it! They thought they would manage to salvage my documents, but my darling PC decided to completely refuse, point blank.

So really, I'm very pissed. Well, not at the guys who're trying to save my poor computer, but at the computer itself. Not only have I lost a year of work on Spring Time, but also various precious information, pictures, music and other miscellaneous things.

I had two chapters done and a half one I was still working on, so I'm completely demoralised about going back to write it all up again. I'm still mourning for the loss, sorry, so do not expect anything for another while yet. I know that you're not very happy about it, but hopefully you'll understand that I can do nothing at the moment, and even if I wanted to, I could probably not restart working on anything because of lack of enthusiasm and ideas.

Also, my next year at school will be rather harsh on me, I'll have Lating and Chinese at the same time, and being a complete novice in both languages it's going to take much of my time to just remember everything.

But do not worry too much! I will NOT abandon this story, I love it too much, but I will rewrite some chunks of it to make it better. This is the first story that I really want to finish, I just have to get there.

I wish you all a nice ending for your holidays, before we all go back to slaving either at work or at school.

This was Yukiko, out.


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